fredcdobbs5 Anna May Wong lends much more dignity--and professionalism--to this cheapjack PRC production than it deserves. Directed by Monogram stalwart William Nigh--he must have misbehaved and was punished by being loaned out to PRC--and written by longtime hacks Sam Robins and Milton Raison, this bears all the hallmarks of a PRC production that we've come to know and love: tinny sound, at times barely visible photography, inconsistent scripting and amateurish performances from newcomers on their way up and over-the-top performances from veterans on their way down. This one has Wong as the leader of a Chinese group resisting the Japanese occupation of China during World War II, and must match wits with a wily Japanese general (Harold Huber, miscast again, as he often was). I gave this three stars, based entirely on Wong's presence. She was almost criminally misused by Hollywood over the years, and she deserved better-and she certainly deserved better than this. Without her, this wouldn't be worth watching.

hwg1957-102-265704 A Japanese general comes to stay in a Chinese village to await his main force. Also becoming involved in the story are two American airmen, a German night club owner, a partly Russian singer and a Chinese woman who leads the local partisan group. It is low budget but quite effective in its way at portraying the oppression of an occupied people. The firing squad scene is quite chilling and the ending is sad and uplifting at the same time. William Nigh directed over a hundred films and is probably thought of as a hack director but there are some little gems in his long career and this is one of them.The shining centre of the film is Anna May Wong as Kwan Mei. She is believable as the elegant woman charming the general, a worker in the paddy fields and the leader of the village rebels. She can be sweet and she can be ruthless. Of the supporting cast Mae Clarke is very good as the cynical singer Lavara but not in it enough unfortunately. Harold Huber as the Japanese general doesn't look the part but is solid enough.It's a wartime piece of propaganda but the message doesn't impede the drama.

mark.waltz By allowing many films to fall into the public domain, copyright owners have given movie audiences the chance to see obscure movies that otherwise they may not have thought of watching. Through the many public domain video and DVD companies, these movies have become rediscovered and future film-goers are looking at them and sometimes even more creative than the features made during the golden age of cinema.PRC, sometimes referred to as pretty rotten cinema, had a few masterpieces. Some of them truly stand the test of time and are truly influential in giving ideas to independent filmmakers as to how to make the type of movies that is part of their artistry. The new wave of films in the 1940s and 1950s created a whole new set of filmmakers who probably were lucky enough to see these B films made while they were at their movie-going teenage height.During World War II, there were hundreds of movies made that dealt with the issues of the war. Some to be honest are crap. They have stereotypical villains of German or Japanese backgrounds. Italians for the most part were usually sparred such one dimensional portrayals. I guess when you have a short man with an angry looking mustache and a Donald Trump hair don't and an evil looking Asian man, it's easy to type cast them as the villains. The Japanese got some horrible typecasting in their villains, but a few films managed to show the leaders of the Empire's military as slightly more human than some other filmmakers did. That is the case here, where the beautiful Anna May Wong plays a Chinese woman who becomes the Joan of Arc of her nation by standing up to the invading Japanese, becoming almost a Mata Hari herself as she leads the efforts to destroy them. Wong gives an excellent performance, and every action that comes from her face is as revealing as the lines she is reading. She gives a sneer without squinting her nose and it indicates both hatred and fear, not necessarily for herself but for her people. With Harold Huber playing the Japanese general, she is willing to come off almost as a prostitute in order to reach her mission. Anna knows that her life is at stake, it is worth the risk. May Clark, the actress famous for having the grapefruit shoved in her face by James Cagney, has another good role as a tough Russian singer.I don't know how realistic this is in the lives of the Chinese peasants who found their homeland being invaded by the Japanese but you can't help but admire the ones who are willing to give up their own lives to preserve liberty. There are many great little details in this film, particularly the excellent photography which while still rather shoddy compared to the a Studios is still impressive. This is a film that has managed to stand the test of time because it shows both of Chinese and the Japanese in a different light then they are normally given and does a great chance to see the much neglected walk in a leading role even if it is at one of the poverty row studios.

mlauerba I saw this film at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens quite by accident; film screenings are included in the price of admission. (If you get the chance, be sure to visit the museum. It is a wonderful small museum.) My husband and I loved the film. While the picture quality and the sound were not great it was manageable. In the context of the time period, the story line is realistic and Wong was excellent in the title role. I will be sure to look for more films with her. If you get a chance to see this, it is definitely worthwhile. Another piece of history to fill in the gaps left out of the history books.